Trait Approaches to Personality

1
Trait Approaches to Personality
2
Lecture contents

• From cardinal to basic traits
• Issue 1 What and where are traits?
• Issue 2 What use are traits?

3
Traits The gist

• Personal (internal) rather than situational
  (external)
• Stable rather than transitory (across time)
• Consistent rather than inconsistent (across
  similar situations)
• General rather than specific (across different
  situations)
• Universal dimensions Individual differences
  (across people)

4
Manifest, latent, or manifest because latent?

• Potential vs. actual
• Internal vs. interactive
• Explanation vs. description
• Behaviours vs. motives, affects, cognitions

5
An early definition

• generalized and personalized determining
  tendencies - consistent and stable modes of an
  individuals adjustment to his environment
• Allport Odbert (1936, p. 26)

6
Behavioural traits and individual differences from

• Situational preferences
• Cognitive styles
• Expressive styles

7
Traits and individual differences attenuated by

• Strong situational constraints
• Trait combinations
• Trait conflicts
• Other traits
• Motives
• Temporary moods
• Roles

8
Allports non-common traits

• Cardinal traits
• Single defining traits that characterise some,
  but not all, individuals.
• Central traits
• Typically 5-10 traits those usually mentioned
  in careful letters of recommendation or in
  brief verbal descriptions of a person (Allport,
  1937).
• Secondary traits
• Like central traits but more specific to
  particular stimuli or particular responses.

9
Cattells 16 PF (5th Edition)

• A. Warmth Reserved Warm
• B. Reasoning Low High
• C. Emotional stability Reactive Calm
• E. Dominance Deferential Assertive
• F. Liveliness Quiet Energetic
• G. Rule consciousness Expedient Dutiful
• H. Social boldness Shy Socially bold
• I. Sensitivity Logical Sensitive
• L. Vigilance Trusting Vigilant
• M. Abstractness Practical Contemplative
• N. Privateness Forthright Private
• O. Apprehension Self-assured Apprehensive
• Q1. Openness to change Traditional Free thinking
• Q2. Self-reliance Affiliative Independent
• Q3. Perfectionism Unexacting Perfectionist
• Q4. Tension Relaxed Tense

10
(No Transcript)
11
(No Transcript)
12
Have I read you right?

• You have a need for other people to like and
  admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of
  yourself. While you have some personality
  weaknesses you are generally able to compensate
  for them. You have considerable unused capacity
  that you have not turned to your advantage.
  Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside,
  you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the
  inside. At times you have serious doubts as to
  whether you have made the right decision or done
  the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of
  change and variety and become dissatisfied when
  hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You
  also pride yourself as an independent thinker
  and do not accept others' statements without
  satisfactory proof. But you have found it unwise
  to be too frank in revealing yourself to others.
  At times you are extroverted, affable, and
  sociable, while at other times you are
  introverted, wary, and reserved. Some of your
  aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic.

13
The 16PF5 (Global Factors)

• Tough-Mindedness/Receptivity
• Low Self-Control/High Self-Control
• Introversion/Extraversion
• Independence/Accommodation
• Low Anxiety/High Anxiety

14
Hans J. Eysencks Big Two
15
Eysencks Extraversion
Extraversion
Sociable
Lively
Active
Assertive
Carefree
Dominant
Surgent
Venturesome
Sensation-seeking
16
Eysencks Neutroticism
Neuroticism
Anxious
Depressed
Tense
Irrational
Shy
Moody
Emotional
Low self-esteem
Guilt- feelings
17
For fun only

• Answer the following questions using a scale of 1
  (not at all) to 5 (very much)
• 1. Do you stop to think things over before doing
  anything?                                         
           
• 2.  Would being in debt worry you?
• 3.  Do you lock up your house carefully at night?
• 4.  Would it upset you a lot to see a child or
  animal suffer?
• 5.  Do you believe insurance plans are a good
  idea?
• Add the scores together.

18
Eysencks PEN model
19
Eysencks Psychoticism
Psychoticism
Aggressive
Cold
Egocentric
Impersonal
Impulsive
Unempathic
Creative
Anti-social
Tough- minded
20
(P)EN Evaluation

• E N result from almost all factor analyses
• Measures (e.g., EPQ-R) are generally accepted as
  psychometrically impressive
• Each factor score correlates with different
  biological stuff
• Genetic contributions to E and N scores
• Systemmatic mean differences across highs and
  lows, e.g., Introverts vs. Extraverts
• I want to know more about
• predictive/criterion validity
• comprehensiveness
• Utility generally

21
Fundamental Lexical Hypothesis

• The Big Five
• the most important individual differences in
  human transactions will come to be encoded as
  single terms in some or all of the worlds
  languages
• (Goldberg, 1990, p. 1216)
• Single-trait words reveal factors I-V in US, UK,
  Japan, China, etc

22
The Five-Factor Model (FFM)

• Costa McCrae (1992)
• Openness (Curious and unconventional)
• Conscientiousness (Ordered and persistent)
• Extraversion (Exuberant and sociable)
• Agreeableness (Caring and considerate)
• Neuroticism (Emotional and anxious)

23
FFM Openness to experience
Openness
Fantasy
Aesthetics
Feelings
Ideas
Actions
Values
24
FFM Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness
Dutifulness
Competence
Order
Deliberation
Self Discipline
Achievement Striving
25
FFM Extraversion
Extraversion
Gregariousness
Activity level
Assertiveness
Warmth
Excitement Seeking
Positive Emotions
26
FFM Agreeableness
Agreeableness
Trust
Altruism
Modesty
Compliance
Straight-forwardness
Tender-mindedness
27
FFM Neuroticism
Neuroticism
Anxiety
Depression
Vulnerability
Impulsiveness
Self-consciousness
Angry Hostility
28
Consensus on 5 basic traits

• 16PF5 Big 5 FFM
• Tough-Mindedness/Receptivity   Intellect    Openn
  ess
• Low Self-Control/High Self-Control Conscientiousne
  ss Conscientiousness
• Introversion/Extraversion    Surgency    Extraver
  sion
• Independence/Accommodation Agreeableness    Agreea
  bleness
• Low Anxiety/High Anxiety    Emotional
  Stability Neuroticism
• Remember the two crucial skills of factor
  analysis
• Factor labeling
• Input variable selection

29
FFM Evidence

• Cross cultural replication
• using translation
• Using lexical method
• Self-other correlations
• Biological
• Genetic inheritance
• Evolutionarily consistent
• Cross species
• Neurological
• Diagnosis
• Prediction

30
What is being claimed?

• The claim that the FFM is comprehensive does not
  mean that it exhaustively measures individual
  differences in personality, any more than a
  comprehensive examination asks every single
  question a student should be able to answer on a
  topic. What the model hypothesizes is that
  almost every personality trait is substantially
  related to one or more of the five factors, and
  that any remaining traitsform a miscellaneous
  category rather than covarying to define a sixth
  or subsequent factor.
• Costa McCrae (1995, p. 218, f. 1)

31
Evaluation

• Description more than explanation.
• Conceptual fuzziness.
• Little prediction or control.
• Person-situation controversy continues.
• However, the Five Factor approach does seem well
  grounded and the best trait taxonomy currently
  available.

32
(No Transcript)